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Blu-Ray Review: Inu X Boku Secret Service (2012)

2013-05-24T04:09:00.004-04:00

Listen up all you Human Toilets out there! Inu X Boku Secret Service is a show about a fifteen year old girl (soon to be sixteen) named Ririchiyo Shirakiin who moves into a very nice looking apartment building and soon meets up with Soshi Miketsukami who is assigned to be her servant (in the same manner as a butler or a bodyguard). Soshi is a very kind guy that is willing to do anything for her even risking life and limb. Ririchiyo is very rich, very stuck up , and very rude to everyone around her and is always putting them down with harsh insults. Although deep down inside her she is a sweet little thing that always feels bad for the trouble she has caused people but is a little shy to go up and apologize to them so she writes them letters instead. There are also other servants there that serve the other residents like the very quiet and always hungry Karuta Roromiya, the cheeky but caring bunny-man named Zange Natsume, and the horny lesbian Nobara Yukinokoji. One night a burglar breaks into the building but gets a nasty shock when he sees that all the people there have supernatural powers. They give Mr. Hamburgerler a good thrashing (that's not his actual name but I rarely get a chance to bring up "Mr. Hamburgerler" in a review) and soon we find out that the apartment building serves as not only a home but also a protection agency for decedents of humans who couldn't keep it in their pants and ended up getting monsters knocked-up. (Click "Read More" for full article).

Despite the first episode giving you an impression that it's going to be a supernatural action show, it really isn't. This show is a relaxing romantic comedy with supernatural elements with the characters worried about getting their school work done. The show is good but not great with a bunch of things that will either be hit or miss with viewers. Characters are pretty mixed ranging from loveable to obnoxiously annoying like when they overuse some gags and Nobara overusing her catchphrase "MANIAC!". The loveable characters are what makes this show watchable with one example being the insanity of one guy who wears S&M getup and calls everyone "human toilets" and is always judging things with the words "Sadist" or "Masochist". As you can tell sexual jokes and innuendo are a plenty (it's sure to give fan-girls great ideas for their yaoi and yuri fan-fictions BARF... OK the yuri is fine) giving it another problem as it doesn't know which audience to cater to as it's too childish for adults and much too raunchy for young adults. Although if you can look past the gags the story is pretty decent but it does start off a bit slow (around three episodes) but after that slump it is decent.

Artwork is very good with some really cute and interesting looking characters and some really cool looking backgrounds. Animation is really good with nothing bad to say about it what so ever. English dub was good but not great as while it doesn't sound terrible it's not very memorable. Only the typical special features in this set with some really nicely done text-less opening and closing credit sequences (I particularly love the S&M mans theme song. HUMAN TOILET!). If I'm going to stretch it then technically you could count episode thirteen as a special feature as it's an OVA but you could also argue that it isn't one too.

Overall I did have some mixed things to say about this show but in the end I enjoyed it. This is a hard one to give a rating for due to it's hit or miss status but since I liked this I'm going to say yes but do keep what I said about the hit or miss thing in mind. A good but not great show.

Title: Inu X Boku Secret Service

Animation Studio: David Production

Genre: Animation/Anime, Drama, Romance, Comedy, Supernatural/Horror

Running Time: 312 Minutes (13 Episodes)

Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment (http://www.hanabee.com.au/)

Rating: MA15+ (Strong sexual themes)

Price: $64.99

Recommended: Yes

Beastcast 38 - the Beast is Back!

2013-05-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

The Gaming Beast is back in action after a long hiatus. Talking mainly about Star Trek into Darkness and Iron Man 3. Download and player after the bump!

Download the Episode here. (Right Click Save Target As.)

Blu-Ray Review: Hellsing Ultimate Collection 2 (2008 - 2011)

2013-05-16T04:28:00.002-04:00

Hellsing Ultimate Collection Two is the second volume of this OVA series containing parts five to eight and damn it was a long wait to finally get these episodes outside of Japan as we have been waiting for close to five years to see episode five onwards. In this bundle of episodes we have the Nazis reaching the United Kingdom and deploying waves upon waves of vampire soldiers in full bloody (no pun intended) force attacking men, women, and children with no remorse what so ever. They also send a squad to attack the Hellsing Organization's headquarters but not without a fight as Seras Victoria and Pip Bernadotte have prepared for their arrival and have some strong defenses of their own. Meanwhile back at the hall of justice... I mean back at the battle ship from episode four we have Alucard taking control of it and he is heading to the battlefield so you know that shit is going to get real once he hits shore (pardon my French on that one as I'm really excited for this one). If you think that is all? Well it's about to get even more bigger when the Vatican army joins the party. Vampires, Nazis, Catholics, this is going to be one hell of a party and I brought the snacks. (Please click "Read More" if you are viewing this from the main page. You are missing out on quite a bit of stuff).

First things first, if you are expecting to enjoy this for the story you will be disappointed as there really isn't much story in this set but rather a whole ton of hard boiled action and a sea full of blood and gore. The characters are really good and interesting with a slight hint of western films like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly giving them all a very unique feel and you will also finding yourselves routing for everyone of them at some point or another especially the ones that you looked down on when you first saw them back in collection one. One thing I was disappointed with collection one was that the show was only MA15+, this upset me because I thought that this could of gotten away with more violence that the comic book/manga got away with and man did I get excited when I saw that this volume was rated R18+ although not to say that the first volume was terrible by any means I just expected more in terms of violence is all (yes I am one sick bitch). With them getting away with a harder rating it made me have higher expectations than what I had with collection one but did it all pay off? Hell yeah it did, the violence is ramped up to overdrive but sadly it's still not up to par with the violence from the comic book/manga but it's still very satisfying and defiantly not for the squeamish.

Behold a real vampire. Alucard doesn't sparkle, show love, or mercy. Alucard is a real vampire indeed.

Artwork is very detailed capturing the darkness and madness of vampire warfare really well. Animation is very well done and also detailed but some scenes are a bit cheesy with the Nazis biting into people like they were fat on a big tender steak. The English dub is also really cheesy with some very badly done German, Italian, and British accents but oddly enough the Irish accents were done pretty well and I was expecting it to sound the worst but assuming makes fools of us all. While the English dub is cheesy it does blend in with all the madness really well bringing back nostalgic memories of watching action movies from the eighties and nineties giving it a very smooth experience.

What a terrible night to have a curse.

Some decent special features in this set including forty-minute long interviews, convention panels where the cast and crew answer some questions, text-less credit sequences, a documentary celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Hellsing series, and a bonus OVA called "The Dawn: Act One" which is about Alucard and a much younger Walter doing some Nazi hunting during world war two and I definitely recommend giving it a view as it adds some extra meat to the series. Overall this set of episodes was worth waiting a long time to sink my teeth in as they were very enjoyable to watch. Defiantly recommend this one.

What a wonderful night to give out curses.

Title: .Hellsing Ultimate Volumes V - VII

Animation Studio: Satelight, Madhouse, Graphinica, Genon Universal

Genre: Animation/Anime, Action, Horror/Supernatural, War

Running Time: 185 Minutes (4 Episodes)

Distributor: Madman Entertainment (www.madman.com.au)

Rating: R18+ (High Impact Themes)

Price: $59.95
Recommended: Yes

DVD Review: Bakemonogatari Part 2 [Limited Edition] (2009)

2013-05-12T09:17:00.001-04:00

Bakemonogatari part 2 is the second (and final) volume of this lo-fi horror (or new wave anime*) series about an ex-vampire named Koyomi Araragi trying to live a normal life but gets anything but. During a trip to a shrine with his friend Suruga to deliver something important they see a girl running in the opposite direction and Koyomi starts to wonder who she was as she looked very familiar to him. When they deliver the item to the shrine they see what seems to be a ritualistic slaughter of snakes and suspect that something is up and they start to look for the girl that ran past them because they think that she has something to do with it. Koyomi and Suruga meet up with the girl from the shrine steps and they find out that she was doing a ritual to get rid of a curse she has. Koyomi feels bad and decides to help her get rid of the curse. That's not all as Koyomi has a really big problem of his own and the problem is that his psycho girlfriend (downgraded from suicidal, homicidal, genocidal bitch and no, he isn't dating the wrestler Sabu) named Hitagi wants to go out on a date. I wonder how this first date will turn out for this delightful (not making a joke there) couple. (To see the full review click "Read More").

Story is told really well with a really great atmosphere that consists of a mixture of psychedelic and creepy. This show also oddly feels like a modern day version of the X-Files with its heavy focus on investigating and that also builds up some great suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seats wondering what's going to happen next but unlike the X-Files you do get to see the demons they are researching. The characters are also really great with a ton of charm, relatable and slightly insane yet down to earth all at the same time so you'd be mad if you don't like these characters. One thing that took me by surprise is the violence, it's really bloody and always sudden adding a little bit of friendly (AKA not overly offensive) shock value to it that's sort of like a jump scare but not as shit.

Art-work is really great with well designed characters with some very smooth animation and there is a lot of variety in art-styles ranging from really cartoony all the way to photo realistic. The scenery is very artistic like I'm looking at a museum art-piece which also adds a creepy element to the shows atmosphere. Animation in the credits feel very unique and are very over the top and it adds a lot of fun to the show. The credit sequences also change every story-arc which always gets you something to look forward to. The Japanese dub worked with the characters pretty well but it felt like there was something missing which could of made this dub amazing but for some reason I can't seem to put my finger on it.

Same type of special features in this volume as we had with volume one, promotional videos, a ton of text-less credit sequences (which is a really good thing as they were very good), and cast commentary on every episode. Also like volume one the DVDs come in a hardback book full of art and info of the characters that are pure candy for the eyeballs. Overall this show is not only a must watch but it's also one of those shows that can be watched over repeatedly over and over again. Highly recommended watch this one is (*Yoda growl* mmmm).

*Note: Read the review to Bakemonogatari Part 1 to find the original "New Wave" comment.

Title: Bakemonogatari Part 2 [Limited Edition]
animation Studio: Shaft
Genre: Animation/Anime, Drama, Romance, Black Comedy, Horror/Supernatural
Running Time: 168 Minutes (7 Episodes)
Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment (http://www.hanabee.com.au/)
Rating: MA15+ (Strong sexual themes, Infrequent animated violence )
Price: $49.99
Recommended: Yes

DVD Review: Hakuoki Season 1 - Demon of the Fleeting Blossom (2010)

2013-05-09T08:29:00.000-04:00

Based on the video game series of the same name, Hakuoki is an animated drama series about a girl named Chizuru Yukimura who is looking for her lost father and ends up getting captured by a clan of rouge samurai called "The Shinsegumi". During her imprisonment she actually starts to like it there and grows fond of them and they grow fond of her back allowing her to take part in all their missions. While on a mission they come across another group of rouge samurai that call themselves "The Devils" and they have some incredible skills of likes they have never seen before. This battle leaves a good chunk of The Shinsegumi men in critical condition. Chizuru steps up to treat their wounds and thus she gets entrusted with being a medic during missions. Shortly after the battle Chizuru finds out a dark secret that only a few people know that could quite possibly put her life in jeopardy. (If you want to read the rest of the review, please click "Read More' and bam! There is the rest of the review).

The story was told in a very beautiful and clever way with a strong cast of characters that will draw you in emotionally making you care a lot about them. This show also feels like that I'm not watching an anime based on a video game but rather I'm watching a stage play with each episode masquerading itself as an act. One complaint I have is that every time Chizuru is introduced to a new male character it pauses like that I am expected to pick a love interest to get one of the many endings* like you would in the video games. While it works well in the games I do find it silly for it to be in the show. Another thing about this show is that is has some really nice plot twists (not spoiling what they are) that caught me by surprise which is nice as most plot twist I've seen in general are all dumb and predictable so to see something like this is nice breath of fresh air.

The art-work looks great but there are some scenes (mainly the night ones) where it is grainy and it distracts me a little bit but I got used to it (not to be confused with the intentional film grain you see in the flash back scenes). There is a mistake on the back cover saying that this is only viewable in a Japanese dub with English subtitles but there is indeed a English dub in this release. The English dub is very strong with the voice cast matching up to the strength of the story. Soundtrack was very beautiful and relaxing capturing the samurai vibe with no hassles to be said what so ever.

Pretty basic special features with the typical text-less opening and closing credits but while typical they were fun to re-visit as they were very beautifully done. Overall for a show based on a video game this one was excellently done and certainly breaks the stereotype of "all show/films based on video games are utter garbage" much like how Clannad also broke this mold (I like to bring up Clannad a lot in my reviews). Definitely recommend giving this show a watch unless you want to commit harakiri (the art of stabbing a sword into your stomach as a form of suicide) although that might be a tad bit of a harsh punishment but still, you are really missing out on a really great story if you ignore this show. Keep an eye out for my review of the second and third seasons that are coming out soon and I only hope that they are just as good (or even better) than this one.

*Note: This show doesn't have many endings.

Title: Hakuoki Season 1 – Demon of the Fleeting Blossom

Animation Studio: Studio DEEN

Genre: Animation/Anime, Drama

Running Time: 288 Minutes (12 Episodes)

Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment

Rating: M15+ (Animated violence)

Price: $59.99

Recommended: Yes

The Anime Room: Kara no Kyoukai Review

2013-05-05T14:36:00.001-04:00

Murder? Chicks with daggers? Supernatural shit? It's all here, it's all awesome. Check out my review of Kara no Kyoukai, a 7 film anime series filled to the brim with raw, unfiltered win.

DVD Review: Azumanga Daioh The Animation Complete Collection (2002)

2013-05-05T11:19:00.002-04:00

Azumanga Daioh is an animated comedy based on the 4-panel comic strip of the same name about a group of high school girls just being normal teenage girls but with a comedic twist soldiered on to it. Chiyo Mihama (AKA Chiyo Chan) is a 10-year old that got skipped ahead due to being super duper smart kinda like the character Harold from the classic comedy film "Revenge From The Nerds (1984)", Tomo Takino is a very energetic, mischievous and likes to compete in sporting events, Koyomi Mizuhara (AKA Yomi) is the straight-headed one but is also very weight conscious, Sakaki Mizuno is the tall silent one that loves animals but animals don't share the same feelings back, Ayumu Kasuga (AKA Osaka) is a transfer student from Osaka and is very slow, naïve and is always sleeping in class, Kaorin is a very sweet girl that has a huge obsession over Sakaki which adds some lesbian innuendo into the show (but you never find out if she is or not), and mid-way into the show we are joined with Kagura who is also very athletic that majors in running.

The show is written very well with a strong cast of characters (both main and supporting) that are some of the most funny, charming, and lovable you will ever see in animation and you will find your butt falling out of your pants from laughter (one ass cheek per pant leg making it look like you have shankles). Another thing I like about the show is that the story is very progressive with the show starting on the first year of their high school days and ends after their final year of high school and they also have the characters age adding extra detail (because you know how some anime characters never seem to age past them entering the later years of elementary school). A big gripe I have with this show is that this box set is rated MA15+ and yet this show is safe enough to show children of all ages. You may find the odd adult joke here or there really isn't anything in here that you wouldn't see in Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon shows and at most this show should only be rated PG.

(From left to right) Osaka, Chiyo, Tomo, Kaorin, and Yomi.

Art-work is very adorable and fun adding extra cuteness and charm to the characters and the scenery while basic it looks very good. Animation is pretty good for most episodes but there are some moments where you can tell they cut down the budget but for a show from eleven years it has aged very gracefully. English dub is very good and did a good on making the comedy just as funny as the voices in your head from reading the comic/manga. Soundtrack adds a lot to the show too and is just as memorable as everything else in the show.

What's the matter Sakaki? Cat got your tongue?

While there isn't many special features in this set you do get some good stuff. There are the typical text-less credit sequences that are fun to re-visit, Great looking sketches from when the show was in production, and you get a bonus film called "Azumanga Daioh The Very Short Movie" and by short I really do mean short with a total running time of six minutes. Overall this is a very excellent anime that can be watched over and over again and should be in every anime/animated collection. My only regret is that I can't express my love for this show even more than what I am in this review. I Highly recommend this one.

This DVD set will make the cut with every fan of animation.

Title: Azumanga Daioh The Animation Complete Collection

Animation Studio: J.C. Staff

Genre: Animation/Anime, Comedy

Running Time: 650 Minutes (26 Episodes)

Distributor: Madman Entertainment (www.madman.com.au)

Rating: MA15+ (Adult themes, Coarse language, Low level violence, Sexual references)

Price: $49.95
Recommended: Yes

Blu-Ray Review: Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere Season 1 (2011)

2013-04-27T09:17:00.003-04:00

Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere is a bizarre action show about a high school class training to be high level warriors who end up going to war to rescue a girl called Horizon from being sentenced to commit suicide. While it is a simple story the show tries to make it more complicated than what it really is and it makes it very frustrating. While the story is very dumb and confusing you will be drawn in by two very strong elements which are the characters and the action. The action is very top notch with exciting robot battles, clashes of iron against armor, erotic and exotic magical powers giving it a feeling that I'm listening to a "Dungeons and Dragons" session that me and my friends record every now and then. Characters in this show are very insane like Tori who is a very flamboyant looking pervert that loves hentai, Masazumi daughter of a politician who is forced to live as a boy, Tori's busty sister Kimi that specializes in the art erotica, and other weirdos like a curry throwing Indian, twin witches that use their broomsticks as guns, a talking slime, and a fat nerd that sounds like a character our pal Darabka the Gaming Beast does for his Beastbar cartoon. While weird they all have a lot of charm and a lot of sex appeal that you can't help but to find them enjoyable. (Click "Read More" to read the rest of this review).

The art-work in this show is completely insane with very exaggerated looking characters and all the women look like boom poles with bowling ball sized breast attached to them and believe me I wouldn't mind them sweeping up my 10-pin alley if you know what I mean (OK that's taking it a bit to far). Animation is really impressive during the battle scenes and pretty good during all the other scenes and brace for a lot of bouncing animation for the breast which will offend women and make everyman smile. Soundtrack has a very grand sound and sets the mood with each scene perfectly and also has some catchy pop-music to boot. English dub syncs up with the insanity of each character very well but I can see some people switching it to the Japanese dub as some characters can get very annoying.

Tori takes his school studies very seriously, he is studying to become a bomb defuser.

Pretty standard by the book special features for the most part with text-less credit sequences and promotional trailers. However there is one really unique special feature in this set and that is a lecture about the history of the far east (the place that this show is based in) giving us some extra detail about the show's universe and while this may seem like a novelty of a special feature it was very enjoyable and well worth the time. However I do warn that this feature is in Japanese with English subtitles only... actually it's only in text as there is no dub in this feature as it also doubles up as a parody on the text adventure hentai games that Tori plays in the series. I recommend checking out the show but don't go in expecting this to be serious otherwise you will wind-up being disappointed.

SCISSORS!

Title: Horizon In The Middle Of Nowhere Season 1

Animation Studio: Sunrise

Genre: Animation/Anime, Sci-Fi, Action, War, Comedy

Running Time: 325 Minutes

Distributor: Madman Entertainment (www.madman.com.au)

Rating: M15+ (Animated violence, Sexual references)

Price: $64.95

Recommended: Yes

Blu-ray Review: GYO Tokyo Fish Attack! (2012)

2013-04-25T11:03:00.001-04:00

GYO Tokyo Fish Attack is a short animated horror film about mutant cyborg sea creatures causing havoc in Tokyo. The movie starts out with a group of teenagers camping in a cabin by the woods and they are having a good time like you would normally have at a place like that. The slutty one of the group (pardon my tongue) decides that she wants to have a threesome with two of the guys there and right as they are about to mingle a mutant cyborg shark bursts through their window and attacks everyone. This shark is one mean old perverted bugger too as the first thing he does is pin down the girl from the three way but she manages to get away with only her skirt ripped off and she's screaming bloody murder and running down the hall with her bare ass hanging out (again, pardon my language). They miraculously defeat the mutant cyborg shark with only minor damage, so what do you think happens next? She continues on having her threesome with the two bro dudes of coarse. The other half of the teens are a bit more shaken up about it and they watch the news on the TV and then Kaori (our main heroine) receives a very distressed phone call from her boyfriend saying "Do not return to Tokyo". Kaori decides to pack up and go back to Tokyo anyway to find her boyfriend but runs into trouble when she sees that the whole city has been infested by mutant cyborg sea creatures. Kaori is not alone in this twisted fish war as she is joined up with a handsome freelance reporter that just happens to be after her boyfriends uncle who might know the cause of the invasion. (To read the rest of the review please click "Read More").

What I really love about this film is all the influences you see from classic B-grade and A-grade horror films like Evil Dead, The Ring, Alien and many more that gives this film a very charming feel like it's paying tribute to all those horror films you love. All the characters are what you expect in a film like this with the lead character starting out as a wuss and growing strong while all the rest are getting slaughtered like how Jack the Ripper got his pray. Action is really damn insane as you could probably imagine from the films description and movie title.

"Kaori"

The art-work is decent with a lot of detail but it can also look very dull with all the shades of grey. The griminess of the monsters is quite well fitting with the fifty shades of grey and brown you see giving it a very gross look and you can also barely notice that a bunch of those monsters are 3D CGI models. The bare ass you see at the start of the film wasn't bad either (too far with that comment perhaps?). Animation is passable but not the best but it could of been a lot worse. This movie is only available in a Japanese dub with English subtitles and the dub is pretty good and feels like I'm witnessing acting straight from 80's B-grade films but Kaori does get a bit annoying when she keeps on screaming her boyfriends name.

*Jaws Theme*

Overall if you are a fan of horror, B-grade films, harming sea creatures, cyborg mutant sharks, bare ass slut in a three-way, this film is for you. This film is especially good for when you have all your friends around so you can laugh along with the fun (even schools of Tuna will enjoy this). Highly recommend this one.

We're gonna need a bigger boat.

Title: GYO Tokyo Fish Attack!

Animation Studio: Ufotable

Genre: Animation/Anime, Horror

Running Time: 70 Minutes

Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment

Rating: MA15+ (Mature themes, Course language, Sexual references, Violence)

Price: $39.99

Recommended: Yes

Blu-Ray Review: Bodacious Space Pirates Part 2 (2012)

2013-04-22T11:10:00.001-04:00

This second (and final...?) collection of Bodacious Space Pirates episodes has the crew left very ill after a shipment gone wrong when monkeys go running wild on the good ship Bentenmaru spreading a flu like virus that infects all the crew except for Captain Marika (due to her being at home to get some rest at the time of the incident). Now the crew are stuck in quarantine so they don't go spreading the virus around on their home planet. Captain Marika now has to find a new crew so she can do her jobs otherwise she'll have her pirate license removed due to not being active. Captain Marika goes searching for a crew but has no luck until the Captain of the space pirate ship Barbaroosa gives her advice about finding people she can trust. This gives Captain Marika the idea to hire the Space Yaught Club (a class she is a part of during high school) to be the replacement crew. So with a new crew comes some all new kinds of trouble so how will Captain Marika handle this gang of teenage booty bandits? (Click "Read More" to read the full review if you are reading this on the main page).

One thing I don't like is that all the adverts for this show make it out to be no more than a cliché fan-service space harem that makes you think that it should be named "Bootylicious Space Pirates" instead, because it is far from that. What you are actually getting is a really nicely told science fiction show that takes itself very seriously. You won't see anything crazy for the sake of being crazy as everything done in this show is done for very apropreate reasons and they don't mess around (well, not during work anyway). Characters for the most part are really darn good but you do get some out of the bunch you will dislike and not because of them being annoying but rather because they are the bad guys, this is really good because it means the bad guys are serving their purpose of getting us to want to support the heroes. The show is typically a slower paced kind of sci-fi with a ton of technobabble but in this volume the action has been increased quite a bit and it was really awesome to see as all the action scenes were pretty dang awesome. One thing I really liked about the story is when something bug happens it really does feel like something big happens unlike in most other anime I have seen where a big twist is predictable and feels very empty.

"It's time to commit some piracy" - Captain Marika

Artwork looks very nice and matches up to the shows atomesphere really well. Animation is pretty good in the battle scenes and passable everywhere else, there is nothing more to say as it is what it is. English dub is pretty good and it matches up with the characters really nicely but there are some things about the dub that will annoy you like how they like to add "Chan" and "Sensei" when they are talking to each other as it feels very unnatural to have in an English dub. I know most of the more "hardcore" anime fans (yes I used quotation marks like an asshole) will hate me for this but I find that to be a bit annoying in English dubs and destroys some of the meaning of having an English dub to begin with. Soundtrack sounds very epic and matches up perfectly with everything that happens in the show and will also be a hit with fans of pop-music and heavy metal (and you know those two groups rarely mix).

Special features in this volume are the exact same as the ones in volume one with text-less credit sequences but that's not a bad thing at all as the credits are really enjoyable. Overall I really loved watching Bodacious Space Pirates and I hope we see more seasons in the future. This is one of those shows that has also driven me to buying the manga (which is still ongoing). I highly recommend checking this series out and if you don't I'll walk you off the plank into a black hole where you will end up in Davey Jones's locker.

Title: Bodacious Space Pirates Part 2

Animation Studio: Satelight

Genre: Animation/Anime, Action, Sci-Fi

Running Time: 314 Minutes (13 Episodes)

Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment (http://www.hanabee.com.au/)

Rating: PG (Mild animated violence, Infrequent course language, Sexual references)

Price: $59.99

Recommended: Yes

Live! From the Terror Dome - Mondo Cool Cast 92

2013-04-21T02:24:00.000-04:00

Sega Pluto, Super guns, Terror Dome art project, MCTV and much more! Listen and download after the jump.

Sega Pluto

Sega Astro City Cabs

Super Guns

Sega Titan AKA Sega ST-V – Jamma compatible Saturn board with Cart games

Virtual On $800 at Vacs N Vids.

Retron 5 - HDMI, Blue Tooth, GB/C/GBA games. Save states. Sounds convenient as fuck.

Drunk guy at Blind Bob’s talks Zelda and fighting games. Thanks Kes. Also thanks for the effort to buddy up. It is appreciated

Famicom converter from NWA on the Saturnleague

Phantasy Star Portable 2

Valkyria Chronicles

Binary Domain

Battle Golfer Yui

Dee Dee planet – Unreleased video game.

Terror Dome contest.

MCTV Signed up for it n shit

Death Adder 83 sed

When you talk about Metal Gear, I hunch over in my chair with a giant frown on my face for the next 30-45 minutes. Nah, I'm kidding, I have fucked around with Metal Gear Solid on the PS1 and liked it and I was really in to the first Splinter Cell game with all that sneakin around and shit.

I've got to say this latest podcast really satisfied my hunger for another Mondo Cool Cast, it feels like I just downed 20ounce porterhouse steak wrapped in bacon off of a Chinese woman's ass! Well done sir.

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DVD Review: Princess Jellyfish (2010)

2013-04-20T23:30:00.000-04:00

Princess Jellyfish is a bizarre drama/comedy about a group of female otaku called "The Sisterhood" that fear a lot of things but mainly fancy looking people they call "The Stylish". Tsukimi is the main one you will see and she is obsessed with drawing jellyfish and is always fantasizing about being a princess, Chieko is the daughter of the landlord and is always dressed like a traditional geisha and likes to collect traditional Japanese dolls, Mayaya is the one that always wears a green jumpsuit and is obsessed with kung-fu and Romance of the Three-Kingdoms, Banba is the short one with an afro and a toy train addiction, Jiji is a manga artist (mainly does Yaoi) that barely leaves her room because of work and has an old man fetish. One night while Tsukimi was on her way home she notices that the pet shop wasn't taking proper care of their jellyfish so she freaks out all about it and gets into a fight with the guy working there and gets kicked out. Lucky for her she is helped by a beautiful strange woman named Kuranosuke who stops the whole situation from turning into a disaster. The two hang out for awhile and they go back to Tsukimi's place and pass out. When Tsukimi awakens in the morning she finds out that Kuranosuke is actually a guy who has a habit of walking around public in women's clothing (cue the theme to Bosom Buddies). (Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review).

Kuranosuke takes Tsukimi back to his place so he can pretty her up, this is when we find out that he is a son of a very rich politician family and they find his habit very shameful (minus his uncle). After putting make-up on her, Kuranosuke's brother starts to have a crush on Tsukimi and they go out on a date which leaves Kuranosuke very jealous. After the date The Sisterhood go to a community meeting and find out some dreaded news that their building is going to be taken down so a new freeway can go up. Kuranosuke and The Sisterhood must find a way to stop this from happening.

Ooohh, look at the jellyfish.

Don't let the goofiness of the story make you think that this is some terrible harem anime with Mrs.Doubtfire because it is far from that. The story is quite good with very interesting characters that are also quite lovable. Comedy is pretty funny and it also has the right amount of drama to stop it from crossing the goofball boarder. You will also find yourself getting addicted pretty quickly and as soon as you know it you have flown by the whole series. One complaint I do have is that the ending gives you a message that pretty much tells you that if you want to know what happens next, read the manga.

THRILLER!

Art-style is pretty good, has a nice colorful, cute, detailed, and fresh look to it that is quite refreshing to see these days. Animation is really great and lively which is perfect for this show as it blends in really well with the nature of the characters. Soundtrack is really awesome, especially the songs used in all the credit sequences and it just adds to the charm of the show. English and Japanese dubs were pretty decent but far from perfect with some mild annoyances with Kuranosuke as his voice can get irritating (in both dubs). It really doesn't matter which dub you watch this show on as they both sound pretty similar (minus the part of both dubs speaking in different languages) so there is no superior dub in this show.

Professor Jelly will also be popping up over time as added comedic relief.

There is a very odd problem in the set that I have with episode five and that is that there is no English dub on it. Not saying that in a way that they never made an English dub for it, but when you do have it set on the English dub you just get nothing but stone cold silence. No idea if this was just my copy but if this happens to you just switch the dub to Japanese ad turn on the English subtitles. Not many special features in this set but what you do get are some pretty sweet ones with audio commentaries on episodes one and eleven covering all the typical stuff you hear in funimation commentary. Overall this was a very nice show to watch that will easily fill up your day with cheer. I recommend giving this series some love.

My Gary's ghost! There is a girl trapped in a tank full of Jellyfish!

Title: Princess Jellyfish

Animation Studio: Brain's Base

Genre: Animation/Anime, Comedy, Drama

Running Time: 242 Minutes (11 Episodes)

Distributor: Siren Visual (http://www.sirenvisual.com.au/)

Rating: M15+ (Sexual references)

Price: $49.95

Recommended: Yes

Sega Pluto 01 and 02 Surface in the same week

2013-04-20T22:43:00.001-04:00

Recently a Sega prototype console was revealed to the world by a former employee of Sega. The Sega Pluto is a version of the Sega Saturn with a built in Netlink modem. Holy shit. My personal love affair with Sega really took off in 2009 when I discovered the Netlink modem and the small rag tag group of Sega enthusiasts that still to this day get together for Netlink matches.

The Sega Pluto and it's owner, a former Sega employee, both currently reside in Japan. Making it slightly more difficult to test out all of this machines capabilities. The owner has no US software to test out on the system but I'm hoping he does get the chance to test out it's abilities at some point.

What makes this story even more amazing is that this was the second of two prototypes. After this story broke the owner of the first Sega Pluto came forward on youtube. Even more shocking is the tale of how he procured this holy grail piece of Sega history. He picked it up at a flea market for $1. Even for a standard Sega Saturn that's an absolute steal.

The owner of the Sega Pluto 01 has already put it up for auction at Game Gavel. Personally if I had an awesome piece of Sega history and only paid one dollar for it I'd hold on to that bastard forever. As of this writing however a cool dude from the Saturn League is the high bidder at $7,600. I wish him tons of luck! I've actually Netlinked with him, bought some Saturn games from him and know him pretty well from the Netlink forum. If he wins and I sincerely hope he does I would love to be one of the people to play a Netlink match against this awesome prototype. What a good week to be a Sega Saturn and Netlink fan.

For those of you finding this quick article about the Pluto via google, and my view stats say there are a lot of you, I'm including my video that shows the Netlink, all of its hardware, explains the service how it works and shows some actual Netlink matches recorded in 2010.

DVD Review: Bakemonogatari Part 1 [Limited Edition] (2009)

2013-04-19T02:26:00.001-04:00

Australians rejoice as we are graced with a limited edition package available only in Australia but the real question is, is it worth it? Bakemonogatari (that's a mouthful to say) is a show about an ex-vampire named Koyomi Araragi who saves a girl named Hitagi Senjogahara from one of the tallest staircases I have ever seen and becomes very curios about her as when he caught her she was lighter than a feather. Koyomi then starts to find information about her but she bursts in and threatens to kill him and then leaves. Koyomi starts to follow her and then gets brutally attacked by Hitagi and her seemingly infinite amount of stationary supplies. After this battle we find out why she felt light as a feather and it is due to being cursed by an evil crab god. Koyomi decides to help her get rid of the curse by taking her to the same guy that helped him cure his vampirism. This won't be the only time you will see him as this series has a bunch of cases like this. (To see full article please click "Read More").

Each story arc/case is fairly short only taking up two to three episodes giving it the same feeling as reading a comic book series rather than watching a big epic saga. This show is quite difficult to nail it down to one single genre as there is so much genre clashing but also feeling so unique that it creates it's own genre that for now I'm calling "New Wave" and "Alternative Anime". Normally a show like this would feel very frustrating and pretentious that only hipsters would enjoy but this has none of that and comes off as a very well told story that is very pleasant to watch. The show is also very psychedelic although nothing as mind breaking as anything that Gainax (Neon Genesis Evengellion, FLCL) does but I can see it warding off people (their loss).

One of the best parts of the show is the characters as they are just so charming, fresh, and original that you will instantly fall in love with them. Art-style is really great and very clean with some nice surprises along the way. Animation is really good for what they have but most of the time it's just standing and talking but when something else happens like a fight scene or a horror scene it's really well animated. Soundtrack has some songs that are annoying but the show mostly has some pretty good music and catchy to boot. Japanese dub was pretty good and matched up with all the characters really well so there isn't anything bad to say here.

Special features are pretty decent with audio commentaries from the Japanese cast on every episode, a lot of text-less credit sequences that were pretty nice to watch, promotional trailers, and the packaging itself is what I would consider a special feature. Packaging is really amazing in this set as it's a hardcover art-book with some really nice art pieces of the characters and also has some nice bios on the characters also. Please be aware that the discs themselves come slipped into the last two pages of the book which I can see some people getting a bit disgruntled with but other than that it is very top notch. Overall don't let it's hipster-esk outta shell scare you as deep inside it is all sweet gooey caramel on the inside... and I love caramel. I recommend watching this one.

Title: Bakemonogatari Part 1 [Limited Edition]
animation Studio: Shaft
Genre: Animation/Anime, Drama, Black Comedy, Lo-Fi Horror/Supernatural
Running Time: 192 Minutes (8 Episodes)
Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment
Rating: MA15+ (Infrequent strong animated violence )
Price: $49.99
Recommended: Yes

DVD Review: Fractale (2011)

2013-04-10T23:25:00.000-04:00

Fractale is about a young boy named Clain living in a world called Fractale where most people have given up their humanity to live in computer servers. Clain is obsessed with collecting old technology and while on his way home from a local flea market he sees a girl being chased by a group of thugs. Clain sees her jumping off a cliff and goes to check out the body (that sounds more morbid than what it really is). The girl is alive and he takes her back to his place so she could recover from her wounds and later we find out that her name is Phryne. The gang of thugs invade his house after several failed attempts to trick him into inviting them in and find nothing but her dress and Clain gets beaten up as the thugs think that he did some very naughty things to her but nope as it turns out that she fled. Clain finds her in an old building and they chat for a little while until both of them fall asleep. Clain wakes up in the morning to see that she has fled once again leaving him feeling very frustrated. (For full review please click "Read More").

Clain finds a piece of jewelry in his house that Phryne left behind and discovers that the jewel has some very old information in it and this gets him very excited that he can't help but go through it (the nosy little bastard). While poking around the jewels information he generates a artificial intelligence in the form of a girl around his age. They both go searching for Phryne but end up getting captured by that gang of thugs who end up being a group of freedom fighters that are trying to rage against the machine by trying to take down the Fractale System so people can have more freedom. During an assault on Fractales answer to the Vatican they end up capturing Phryne hoping it would help them win the war.

This show feels more like a war tale rather than a sci-fi series. Despite the freedom fighters making out The Fractale System to be evil monsters, there isn't any good/bad guys to be seen in this but just two sides having different views on how to live in Fractale with both groups having their pros and cons. The shows writing and visual aspects remind me of a mixture between Studio Ghibli and James Cameron films which is odd but very pleasant at the same time. Most of the characters are really enjoyable but there are a few that you will hate right as you first meet them.

Animation in Fractale is excellent and has some of the most charming art-work that I have ever seen in an anime period. There is a whole ton of beautifully detailed stuff drawn in this and you will find a lot of joy from looking at it's beauty. English dub is very great and goes with the characters really well and gives them a ton of charm. Soundtrack is totally astonishing with some of the best music to ever have graced animation, OK that may have been overdoing it there but the soundtrack is still excellent nonetheless.

This DVD does include audio commentaries on episodes one and seven and I recommend giving them a listen after you have watched the show. The commentaries cover the typical things like what it was like working on it, behind the scenes gossip, and it also has what you will know with the Funimation commentaries and that is that most of the talk is just useless trivia about the crews lives. This is not a bad thing as it is oddly enjoyable to listen to as the stories they tell are quite entertaining and don't get frustrated if you don't think they will cover stuff about the anime because they do talk about the shows enough to satisfy your curiosities. This set also has a promotion trailer for the English dub which they could or probably put in some more like some international ones. Overall Fractale is a must watch for everyone that is a fan of animation and even people who don't watch that much animation as the show is that damn good. Highly recommend this one.

Title: Fractale

Animation Studio: A-1 Pictures, Ordet

Genre: Animation/Anime, Sci-Fi, War

Running Time: 253 Minutes (11 Episodes)

Distributor: Siren Visual

Rating: M15+ (Science fiction violence, Sexual themes)

Price: $49.95

Recommended: Yes

Mondo Cool TV #00 The Best of Special (Rough Version)

2013-04-05T01:32:00.000-04:00

Behold the rough version of the best of MCTV. There may be a full polished version in the future but in case there isn't you have this version anyway.

Some examples of stuff I need to fix are, picture quality, host segments, credits, screen size, may be cut for TV,ETC. Please comment on the show anyway if you liked it, hated it, or have some feedback as to what you wanted to see in this episode.

Blu-Ray Review: Ef - A Tale Of Melodies (2008)

2013-04-05T00:15:00.001-04:00

Ef – A Tale of Melodies is the sequel series to Ef – A Tale of Memories. Much like the previous series this show is made up of two romance stories normally taking up half a show each but towards the end each story gets their own full episode. The first story takes place in the present where Mizuki Hayama is staying in Australia (doesn't say where but from the looks of location it's based in Sydney, New South Wales) and for some reason she decides to go visit her neighbor Shuichi Kuze. Mizuki starts to fall for him but Shuichi has a rare disease and is trying to ward her off so she won't feel bad for him when he passes away. However this doesn't stop Mizuki from trying her best to get together with Shuichi. This portion of the show also follow-up on all the characters that found love in the first season. (Click "Read More" for the rest of the review).

Second story is set in the past back when Yu ( Chihiro Shindou's guardian from season one) was in high school. This origin story shows the lead up to why he was waiting at the church and who he was waiting for. It all starts when he is re-united with a childhood friend named Yuko who still loves him despite being away for a such a long time. Yu becomes very protective of Yuko pretty quickly and gets really mad when he finds out she is getting bullied... or so it seems as there's a word going around that something much darker is happening to her and believe me it does get pretty hard to watch and this is coming from someone who watches stuff like "Oldboy" and "Toxic Avenger". It's nothing gory but you'll see what I mean as I don't want to spoil what it is.

Most the problems I had with the first season (check out the harsh review of season to find out why) are not to be seen in this season. The show is far less boring and tedious but there is still a scene or two that makes you facepalm but is nothing compared to the first season. The characters are really loveable and some of the stuff that they go though is very heavy to the point of shedding tears. However I do find it weird that some episodes play the opening credits fifteen minutes into the show when there is only five minutes left of the show (three if you exclude the closing credits and episode preview).

Very mixed with the art and animation as sometimes it is very beautifully done but other times it looks very average. English dub is pretty good but there are some characters that are done really bad that it will hurt your ears. The music in the first half of the series was weird as it sounded like something you would hear in a cheap hentai but it gets better in the second half of the show.

Special features are pretty basic with text-less opening and closing credit sequences. I still have the same complaints with the maim menu as I did with the first season so you if you want to watch it with the Japanese dub and English subtitles you are best to do it while the episodes are playing. This set also comes with four post-card sized art cards that feature the main characters and are very nice to look at*. Overall this season is a huge improvement over the first one and it's such a pity that you'll have to sit through the first season to get to this masterpiece of a season. I really recommended checking out this season of the show.

*Note: This info is for the Australian release and may not be available in other countries.

Title: Ef- A Tale of Melodies
animation Studio: Shaft
Genre: Animation/Anime, Drama, Romance
Running Time: 256 Minutes (12 Episodes)
Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment
Rating: M15+ (Mature Themes, Nudity)
Price: $49.99
Recommended: Yes

Tiger Claw Radio #117

2013-04-02T11:21:00.002-04:00

Tryed to do an episode of TCR with my son present. It was difficult to say the least. Hence this one is short. Also I didn't upload through the normal channels so you can pick it up at the old TCR Podomatic page. Enjoy!

Check out TCR 117 here.

Game Review: Non-Existent (Nothing)

2013-04-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Non-Existent is a game that doesn't exist for a console that never came out and is not available to the public but I managed to pull a few strings to play this unborn gem. Much like the classic television show “Seinfeld” the game is about nothing. There are no characters to be met with no setting to be found. Later in the game you will find that the game leads to nowhere and I applaud this bold movement as the sweet nothings it promises doesn’t happen gives the story a very original feel that will leave you feeling hollow. This game also has no violence, no action, no dialogue, and no form what so ever but it does make you use your imagination quite a bit. One thing I should say is that this game will offend nobody so there is no need to fear about anything that might do that thing that gives you that feeling.

The graphics are really transparent which makes it hard for me to make out what I'm supposed to look at, it's easier to see air than what you are supposed to see in this game. Couldn't do anything with the controls as no matter which direction I wave my hands in the air at the game does absolutely nothing and it's very... well I can't say as there is no word to describe how the game plays. The soundtrack has zero tracks and boy is it amazing with it's silent sounds that it could grow into something bigger than Beatlemania but I don't like how it ends as it seems to just vanish into thin air. Trying to track down this game is pretty hard as no stores stock it and the website is not available. Overall I have nothing more to say about this game and trying to score this is pretty unthinkable as there is no score that can sum up this game.

Non-Existent

Platform: None

Developer: No one

Publisher: Nobody

Price: Nothing

Recommended: N/A

Blu-Ray Review: Hellsing Ultimate Collection 1 (2006-2008)

2013-03-28T09:29:00.002-04:00

Hellsing Ultimate Collection 1 contains the firs four OVAs based on the hit horror manga from Dark Horse Comics. This series is about an organization hell bent on killing vampires called the "Hellsing Organization" lead by Sir Integra Hellsing being called a "sir" she is actually female). Something really dark is going on when vampire and ghoul attacks are happening a lot more than usual making her very suspicious about the whole situation. Turns out the Nazis are back in town and they want to take over the world with waves of vampires, ghouls, and other kinds of creepy creatures. How on Earth are we going to fight these creatures of the night? With fighting fire with fire that is. Enter Alucard, a vampire that hunts down other vampires with the help of his partner Seras Victoria, an ex-police officer who was rescued by Alucard right before she was about to get raped and eaten (or eaten then raped) by ghouls. Together they hunt down the Nazis and blow any one they find to smithereens with some really powerful guns with bullets that can plow through waves of enemies with one pull of the trigger. A shorter way to describe the insanity is that this series is like Nosferatu (1922) crossbred with the Deathwish (1974) movie series. (Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review).

The story is very simple but after each episode you feel like you got a lot of entertainment implanted into your brains. The action is amazing with guns blazing, swords slashing, grenades popping, black magic casting, and sharp fangs turning waves of people into bloody pulps and it doesn't pull any punches about it so you can't help but have a constant rush of adrenaline every time you watch the show. The characters are equally as exciting and you will instantly fall in love with both heroes (if you can call them that) and villains alike. If you grew up reading ultra-violent comics on the 1990's then you will appreciate a lot more as it has the same feeling as watching shows like "Spawn: The Animated Series", "The Maxx", and "Aeon Flux". Just be warned that this show is extremely violent
with a ton of gore and a ton of foul language so if you offend easy I would strongly recommend skipping this one.

The English dub is very cheesy but it works well with the characters and action. Artwork is phenomenal with a ton of detail in the characters and locations and they also put a ton of detail in the settings with very beautiful use of light and darkness adding a really nice atmosphere. The animation is really excellent, especially in the battle scenes where the animation really stands out. The soundtrack is OK but nothing all that memorable but it goes well with the show.

The special features in this set are very excellent with enough content to fill up an entire afternoon. There are a bunch of interviews with the cast and crew that average thirty-minutes per interview, convention footage of the Genon booth and a panel from Anime Con 2007 although all the screaming girls in the panel segment did bother me, Japanese and English trailers and promotional videos, behind the scenes, the typical text-less opening and closing credit sequences that you see in a ton of anime releases, a bizarre karaoke video where you get to sing the bad guys epic speech, and commentary on each episode detailing on what it was like working on the show. Overall this is the ultimate package for fans of the series (until they release a set with all ten episodes along with all the special features from previous sets) and a good gateway for anime fans who are looking to get away from shonen anime. I highly recommend this and if you disagree I will bite you and turn you into one of my many mondo ghouls.

The following picture depicts me biting you if you don't buy it... It also oddly depicts me as a woman.

Title: .Hellsing Ultimate Volumes I - IV

Animation Studio: Satelight, Madhouse

Genre: Animation/Anime, Action, Horror/Supernatural, War

Running Time: 205 Minutes (4 Episodes)

Distributor: Madman Entertainment

Rating: MA15+ (Strong animated violence, Sexual themes, Coarse language)

Price: $59.95
Recommended: Yes

DVD Review: Arakawa Under The Bridge Season 2 (2010)

2013-03-28T07:43:00.002-04:00

Arakawa Under the Bridge Season 2 (AKA: Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge, and Under the Bride 2) is an animated comedy series about two lovebirds named, Recruit, and Nino who are living in a homeless community called Arakawa along side their insane neighbours including a guy in a suit who claims to be a 620-year old Kappa (a legendary turtle like creature from Japanese folklore), a guy in a star mask who brags about being a rock superstar, a cross-dressing nun, a scary little girl, and many more interesting nutters that you will instantly fall in love due to their colorful personalities and flavorsome antics. This season our gang is trying to help Nino get to her home on Venus but first they have to go through some brutally tough astronaut training. The insane mix of both the characters and situations blend together very well and will give you a intoxicating cocktail of emotions (mainly good ones) making it some very good comedy. (Click "Read More") to see the rest of review.

Before and during their training we get introduced to more insane characters, Amazoness (A big female warrior who travels with a bunch of cross-dressing men in demon masks), and Maestro (defender of Earth and comic book artist). These two characters are very well written and add a lot more flavor (upon the tons of flavor we have already) to the show and you will instantly fall in love with them. Maestro and Amazoness have very quickly became some of my favorite animated characters.

Recruit

Like season one the show still keeps its newspaper comic like format but unlike season one the show doesn't feel as tight as it was back in the first season as it does suffer from having filler. The filler episodes are far from being bad but they do make you feel a bit disgruntled due to wanting to see the grandness of the main story continue although they do hint at a third season so the filler is forgivable. Art and animation in the show is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful with characters that look as memorable as their personalities. All the scenery is just as beautiful and memorable with some really nice detailing and architecture in the buildings and industrial structures. The Japanese dub is excellent matching perfectly to the characters looks and personality's.

Nino

Special features in this set are OK as you do get some promotional trailers that aired on Japanese television and art galleries. The artwork in the galleries were very nice but my complaint with this is that it has all the ones that was used in the season one special features but it also has some new stuff so in a way this is a complete edition of the art gallery feature. Overall this is some excellent viewing and has to be one of the greatest series ever graced to animation. An absolute must watch indeed.

Title: Arakawa Under the Bridge Season 2

Animation Studio: Shaft

Genre: Animation/Anime, Comedy, Romance

Running Time: 314 Minutes (13 Episodes)

Distributor: Hanabee

Rating: M15+ (Coarse language)

Price: $44.99

Recommended: Yes

Blu-Ray Review: Ef: A Tale of Memories (2007)

2013-03-27T08:29:00.001-04:00

Ef – A Tale of Memories is the first season of this romance show based on the PC game Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two. The way the show is formatted is that there are two different stories taking up half
an episode each but sometimes they'll give one of them more air time than the other but anyway let's see what stories this show has to offer. Storyline A is about Hiro Hirono whom is desperately trying to balance out getting his manga done and getting through high school. During Christmas Eve on his way to visit his sister he meets a girl who is chasing down a mugger that took her purse. The girl then takes his bike in a scene that reminds me of when Ash meets Misty in the first episode of Pokémon, he then begins to then chase her down to get back his bike. Hirono eventually catches up to her but when he does he sees the girl unconscious in the snow from crashing the bike. Mystery girl wakes up with Hirono all worried that the girl might have a concussion and tries to convince her to go to the hospital. Mystery girl refuses and convinces Hirono to hang out with her for the rest of the night. The next school year begins and while Hirono is relaxing on the roof to then he is reunited with the mystery girl whom we find out is named Miyako Miyamuro and after a few episodes of him denying they are a couple they end up dating. However Miyamuro has competition as Hirono's sister becomes very jealous and tries to separate them because she wants him all for herself (eww). (Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review).

Storyline B is about Renji Asou who is studying to be a writer, one day while relaxing at his favorite abandoned train station he meets up with a girl in an eye-patch and becomes curious about her. Renji meets up with her again and finds out her name is Chihiro Shindou and that her dream is to write a book. They get along pretty well but Renji gets warned by her guardian telling him that she has a condition where she has a memory span of thirteen hours due to being in a accident from when she was little. Renjo continues to hang out with Chihiro anyway and the two decide to write a book but is worried that she might forget all about him.

There are many problems I have with this show, first one I have is with the story-writing as I find it very shallow and drawn out, they could of done the show in around eight to nine episodes rather than twelve. Another problem with the show is that you never get a full episode that is good to watch as you either get one half of the show to be decent while the other half is just plain boring). Some segments get so boring that it's frustrating to watch. The characters start off as very likeable but there comes to a point where something happens to try to make you feel for them even more but instead it does quite the opposite and makes them very hateable.

The artwork is very beautiful with a ton of nice detailing and the animation is really good also, especially in the credit sequences. However the character designs are very generic looking with little to no uniqueness in them. I find this very ironic as there is a scene where one of the female cast is describing a film she was watching as "very beautifully shot but the story was very boring". The English dub is good but not great but I have nothing really to say about it, it is what it is. The best part of this mess is the soundtrack as it's absolutely amazing to listen to and worth buying the soundtrack for the music but it's such a shame that the show it's attached to is terrible.

Special features are very basic with the usual text-less opening and closing credits but are worth checking out as they are very beautiful to watch. I did have trouble trying to work the language menu as it was very fidgety and no matter which button I pressed it refused to select the options (just like I did with Berserks menu). Overall while this show was very beautiful to look with a really excellent soundtrack, the story was very shallow and feels like a bad Jennifer Lopez chick-flick and just as boring as one. I do not recommend checking out this show.

Title: Ef – A Tale of Memories

Animation Studio: Shaft

Genre: Animation/Anime, Drama, Romance

Running Time: 266 Minutes (12 Episodes)

Distributor: Hanabee Entertainment

Rating: M15+ (Mature Themes, Nudity)

Price: $49.99

Recommended: No

VAG Episode 02

2013-03-25T23:03:00.001-04:00

Retrokaiser's Vinyl Collection #1

2013-03-19T22:50:00.002-04:00

Killer is Dead English Trailer

2013-03-18T14:35:00.001-04:00

Who else is geeked about this game?